


The Possible

by orphan_account



Category: Youtubers
Genre: Angst, F/M, I chose the warning graphic depictions of violence but really its just a lot of injuries, M/M, Sadness
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-03-04
Updated: 2013-04-14
Packaged: 2017-12-04 06:18:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 8
Words: 8,551
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/707484
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Dan, Phil, Carrie, Alex, Jack and Dean all go on a vacation to Hawaii. The ocean has other plans.</p><p>Inspired by the movie The Impossible which was really great and you should go see it.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Turbulence

Jack looked away from the plane's television screen for the first time in three hours to see Dean passed out on Phil's shoulder and Phil leaned against him with his headphones in. He smiled at Jack, who nodded in return. Across the isle was Dan and Carrie who were playing some sort of card game, which they've been playing the entire plane ride, and Alex passed out against the window.  
They were on the way to Hawaii for the summer; the six of them taking a vacation was supposed to be fun! Jack was looking forward to it, but Dan and Phil especially were really stressed out. They were going to have to do their radio show from one of the radio stations in Hawaii, and they were worried the quality wouldn't be that great or some sort of technical issue would ensue and they would get in trouble. But Carrie had convinced them that they needed a break and it was all payed for by google in return for some promotional thing they'd do towards the end of their trip. So here they were, half passed out and half delusional on a plane to Hawaii. This should be fun.  
The fasten seatbelt sign came on and the noise startled Dean awake. He slowly sat up, whipping the tiredness out of his eyes. "Oh shit, sorry Phil. You should have elbowed me." He muttered, but Phil just shook his head.  
"It's alright, you were tired anyway," He smiled back at Dean. Just then the plane shook from turbulence and Alex hit his head against the wall. Carrie finished packing the cards away and asked him if he was okay, to which he replied with about a billion curse words, earning a significant amount of angry looks from women with children sitting around them.  
The plane shook again, this time more violently. Dan clung to the arms of his seat. "Phil…" He whined. Phil reached across the isle and patted his arm.  
"It's okay Dan we're almost there." He almost yelled over the roar of the plane. Phil patted Dan's arm again, before a flight attendant walked by, forcing them to break apart. Carrie stroked Dan's shoulder, and a Phil felt a ping of jealousy in his stomach. He swallowed it away.  
The plane finally slammed into the rough pavement and grinded to a stop in front of their terminal. Dan didn't let go of the arms of the seat until they were firmly stopped and he was sure the plane wasn't moving. He relaxed and shot Phil a smile, indicating he was okay.  
The pilot of the plane came onto the intercom to let everyone know it was time to get off and everyone stood up, gathering their bags quickly and hurrying off the cramped jet.  
The hotel was hot and humid. It was the middle of summer in hawaii, and they were all wearing jeans. Jack chuckled as he suddenly became very aware of his british 10-degree-summers and year-round winter clothes. They would have to stop at a shop to buy a few pairs of shorts.  
Carrie seemed to be the only one prepared, however. As soon as they stepped foot in the terminal, the early morning sun beaming off of her golden hair, she removed her sweatshirt to reveal a tank top. She slipped her sweat pants off and underneath were a pair of shorts. She looked completely different. Jack smiled and Alex laughed, poking her skin and making fun of her.  
The six of them made their way through the airport, each pulling their suit cases behind them. It was about 6am in hawaii which felt like late afternoon to them, but they had just been on a plane for 14 hours so they weren't sure what time it was anymore. After a quick stop in the bathroom, they finally made it out of the airport and into the cab line. Alex and Carrie waited in line while Phil, Dean, Jack and Dan waited on a bench. Dean yawned and leaned into Jack's shoulder, closing his eyes in the glare of the sun.  
"Don't fall asleep! We have to stay up to get used to the time zone!" Jack smiled, wrapping his free arm around Dean's shoulders for support.  
Dean smiled into his chest, "Whatever, loser. I'm going to sleep on this uncomfortable shoulder and there's nothing you can do to stop me."  
Jack laughed and pulled Dean closer, resting his own head on Dean's. After a minute, Alex and Carrie called them over, and they hopped into the cab.  
***  
The hotel was about 10 minutes away, but in that time, despite Alex's obnoxiously loud yelling about how excited he was, Dean managed to pass out on Jack's shoulder again. When they arrived, Dean wouldn't wake up and Jack was forced to carry him bridal style into their room. Luckily, they had called ahead to check in.  
The suite had three rooms. Two with two single beds and one with a double. Alex glanced at the double and winked at Carrie, who shrieked with laughter.  
"Hey, if you two wake us up while having sex i will personally hide all of your condoms." Dan snickered. Alex rolled his eyes and Carrie gripped her side from laughing. She took Alex's hand and pulled him out back to check out their back porch. Dan and Phil carried their bags into their room and collapsed on their beds. Jack just shook his head and carried his sleeping friend into their room, placing him gently on the bed and pulling the covers over his shoulders. After he was sure Dean was asleep, he gently ran his fingers through his hair, stroking his cheeks. Jack sighed and left the room, closing the door and shutting off the lights so that Dean could get some sleep.  
***  
"WAKE UP SLEEPY HEAD WE'RE ALL GOING TO THE BEACH!"  
Dean groaned, pulling the covers over his head. "Noooooo" He mumbled.  
Jack pulled the sheets off of him. "Come on, you need to wake up so you can get used to the time zone. I let you sleep until noon now it's time to go outside!" Jack pulled open the blinds.  
Dean sat up, rubbing his eyes. Jack was wearing his bathing suit and was rubbing sun cream on his back. Dean jumped out of bed and pulled his own swim clothes on, hurrying after Jack.  
"Alex and Carrie are already at the beach, and nobody could get Dan or Phil to wake up so we're leaving them. They can be tired, sucks for them." Jack laughed. Their suite's back porch was directly connected to the beach, so they could easily walk to it.  
Jack ran full speed into the water. The cold shock stung a little but almost instantly he was used to it. The water felt amazing on Jack's body. Dean quickly followed, jumping on his friend and pulling him under the water.  
The two wrestled for a bit and then came up laughing. They walked back to the dry beach and plopped down next to Alex and Carrie. Alex was wearing a leopard print swim suit and Carrie was wearing a pink bikini.  
"Jeez Alex, do you own anything that _isn't_ animal print?" Jack teased. Alex laughed and tossed some sand at him.  
Dean went to work on building a sand castle with Carrie. They managed to build almost an entire building that strangely resembled their hotel building, when a larger wave crashed and washed it away.  
"Nooo!" Dean cried, trying to save the falling structure. Everyone else laughed.  
***  
When the sun finally set and it was time to go back in, everyone was exhausted. Phil and Dan had spent the day walking around the campus, and they collapsed on the couches from exhaustion when they got home.  
"Goodnight!" Carrie announced, after changing into her pajamas and rinsing all of the sand off of her legs. She pulled Alex into their room and closed the door.  
"Goodnight!" Phil called back. "I think i'm going to turn in too," He muttered. He got up to go to bed, and Dan wordlessly followed, leaving Jack and Dean alone in the lounge.  
"Well i'm beat," Jack muttered awkwardly, trying to ignore the feeling of electricity between himself and his best friend who was sat across the couch from him.  
"Mhmm," Dean whispered, staring off at something else. "Me too. Goodnight." He said, rather quickly.  
Dean hit the last light, and crawled into bed, pushing the wandering thoughts of his best friend out of his mind.


	2. The Rumbling

The rumbling woke Phil up first. The walls shook and the sound of wind chimes shaking violently could be heard throughout the entire island. And then it was over. Phil sat up and looked outside, cautiously, but nothing seemed to be wrong. Deciding he wouldn't be able to go back to sleep, he walked out to the back porch. As he quietly shut the door behind him, Phil noticed Alex sitting in the rocking chair, and sat down next to him.  
"Did the rumbling wake you up too?" Phil mumbled quietly, the sounds of the ocean could be heard in the distance.  
Alex nodded, "Yeah it's been going on for an hour now. That last one was the biggest by far. I'm a little bit worried." Phil could hear it in his voice.  
"It's okay, i mean Hawaii's all volcanoes right? I'm sure they get earthquakes all of the time." Phil tried to sound calm, but he was a little bit worried too.  
Just then another earthquake hit. This time the whole house shook. The rumbling in the earth was so loud that Phil had to cover his ears. He could hear screams coming from down the road, and a few yelps from Jack and Dean's bedroom. It only lasted a second, but in an instant everyone was awake and the whole resort was buzzing with people who had gotten up to see what was going on.  
Dan and Carrie came running out first, both hastily pulling on some clothes. "Alex? Phil? What's going on?" Soon after Jack and Dean joined. "What is this?"   
Alex shook his head. "I don't know, but it's been going on for an hour now. It's getting stronger and stronger each time." He stood up and went to stand by Carrie, "I'm a little bit worried."  
Carrie smiled and kissed him on the cheek. "I'm sure it's fine, love. Now i'm going to go get my camera, i bet those earthquakes are going to cause some beautiful waves and the sunrise is just gorgeous!" Carrie disappeared into her room again.  
Not everyone was quite as optimistic, however. Alex sighed and eyeballed the ocean one more time, before deciding to go into the lobby and ask the receptionist if there was anything they needed to worry about.  
"Wait!" Phil called, "You shouldn't go alone! I'll go with you," He grabbed his jacket and hurried out after Alex. Jack and Dean sat down on the couches, worriedly checking their phones.  
Carrie emerged from her bedroom with a tripod and a camera. She quickly set it up and pressed her eye against the viewport to focus and zoom.  
"Jack?" Dean asked, nervously and Jack looked up from his phone.   
"Yeah Dean?" He replied.  
Dean stared into his lap, "Um… there's something i need to talk to you about-"   
A scream.  
Carrie let out the most blood curtailing scream Jack had ever heard, but the noise of her scream was quickly drowned in the rumbling again. But this rumbling was different. The last ones sounded like they were underground. This one sounded like it was everywhere. Jack gasped and looked up. A giant wave was coming in. A tsunami was headed straight towards them.  
Carrie staggered back away from her camera and collapsed on the floor. Dan quickly ran to her side to pick her up, but it was too late. Jack turned to reach Dean, but he only barely managed to scream his name when the water swarmed into the open door and suddenly the whole house was underwater.   
***  
Jack screamed, his body being thrown in all directions. He wasn't sure which way was up or down. He slammed into walls and doors and windows and then suddenly he was out of the house. His head pulled up for a second and he gasped for a breath, but the force of the water pulled him back down.   
There was water everywhere, it seemed the whole world was an ocean and Jack was way too deep to get out. His lungs burned for air, but all of the thrashing and kicking in the world couldn't match the power of the wave pulling him further and further down. Jack screamed, desperately praying it would end, but it seemed to go on forever. The water just kept throwing him in different directions. He tried to open his eyes, but saw nothing but blurs of sky and ground in all directions. He slammed his back into something hard and a deafening crack rippled through his head. And then there was just… black.  
And silence.


	3. Alone

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jack wakes up to a terrible sunburn, and a little bit of shock

When Jack woke up, something was burning him. His first instinct was to shoot up and scream. but his body did not respond.  
Jack opened his eyes slowly, groaning. The sun blared into his face and he realized he wasn't burning, he was just laying in the sun. He was floating. Jack thrashed around until he successfully rolled onto his knees, his breathing heavy and his mind on fire. He coughed violently, water pouring out of his mouth. He coughed up all of the residue and then gasped for air, his lungs burning.The water around him was about a foot high and was rushing all around. Carefully, Jack pulled himself up and gasped.  
Everything was destroyed. The hotel looked miles away, completely in ruins. All of the palm trees had fallen over and there was water everywhere. Jack's hand flew up to his mouth and he squeezed his eyes shut. He took deep breaths, trying to fight off the panic. Jack continued to breathe, trying desperately to calm down and eventually forcing his eyes open to take in the damage. His legs felt like dead weight as he waded through the water. His hands stung and his back felt sore, but he didn't seem to be too terribly hurt.  
Jack pushed forward against the pull of the water. Everywhere around him seemed to be deserted, there wasn't another human in sight. Jack's cheeks stung with tears. He wrapped his arms around himself to calm down. His voice felt weak and his throat still burned, but he still managed a hoarse scream.  
"Dean! Phil! Carrie!" He sputtered, "Guys! Where are you!" Jack's voice broke and a sob escaped from his chest. He collapsed onto his knees again and clung to the ground. His chest heaved and more tears fell down his face. Just then he heard a woman's voice shriek.   
"Jack!" Jack's head shot up. Just a few feet away, he could see Carrie and Dan leaning up against each other and hobbling towards him. Jack scrambled to his feet and sprinted towards them. Carrie threw her free arm around Jack's neck and buried her face into his chest. Jack held them both tightly, sobbing desperately into their grasp.  
Eventually Jack pulled away, his breathing heavy, to observe his friends' states. Carrie had a massive bruise on her eye and a lot of cuts and scratches, but nothing major. Dan was leaning on her, his left foot raise a bit higher then his right and he was limping on it with every step.  
"Are you guys alright? Dan?" Jack gestured to his foot. "What happened?"  
Dan carefully turned around, still clinging to Carrie for support. On the back of his left calf was a massive gash, about as deep as his bones in some places. Jack gasped and covered his mouth with his hand, fighting the urge to puke.  
Carrie helped Dan sit down and pulled his shorts up so that she could see the wound more clearly. "He needs help Jack! Give me your shirt." Jack obeyed mindlessly. "Okay Dan," Carrie whispered calmly, "I'm going to wrap this around your leg very tightly, okay? It's going to hurt a lot, but I have to do it." Dan whimpered, but nodded.  
Dan grasped Jack's hand tightly and closed his eyes as Carrie carefully snaked the t-shirt around Dan's wound. She pulled hard on the knot and Dan cried out in pain. Moving fast, Carrie pulled the knot tight and fastened it. Dan exhaled loudly and released Jack's hand.  
"Okay, i think that should do it." Carrie sighed, "We're going to need to get you to a hospital quick though. Come on, lets get moving. I'm sure it'll be at higher ground then this."  
Jack picked up Dan and held his arm around his own shoulders for support. Carrie took his other arm and the three of them began to press through the rushing water.  
***  
Two hours later, and they hadn't seen a single (live) person. Jack kept his eyes peeled for Dean and Alex and Phil, but they were no where to be found. He closed his eyes and whipped some sweat off of his forehead. He tried not to think about what they could be right now.  
The sun was beginning to set on the horizon and everyone was exhausted. Dan's leg had stopped bleeding, but he still couldn't put any weight on it at all and was getting weaker by the minute. Jack's shoulders ached from carrying most of his weight and although Carrie didn't' complain, he was sure she felt the same.  
"Lets find some shelter, okay?" Jack suggested, breaking the long silence.  
Dan nodded and pointed up at the mountain they were currently walking up. "There's a cave up there, do you think we can make it?"  
Carrie dropped Dan's arm and jogged up the side of the mountain. It was steep, but she still managed to grip the wall tightly and pull herself up into the cave. "It's big in here! I think we might be safe!" She called back down.   
Jack and Dan began clamoring up the hill. Carrie reached over the edge of the cliff and held her hand out for Dan to grab. He cried out in pain as the two slipped and slid up and down the wall. With one great leap, Dan grabbed Carrie's hand and she pulled him up. Jack pushed his good foot up after her, his bad leg dragging against the wall of the cliff. The pain was unbearable, but they made it.  
Jack leapt in after him with ease. Carrie was right, the cave _was_ big. There was just enough room for everyone to lay out and sleep comfortably, and pretty soon, Dan was collapsed on the ground with exhaustion. Carrie quickly followed, and Jack sat with his legs over the edge of the cliff and his back against the wall. The sun set over the horizon, and all they could hear was the rush of the ocean. The water was spread everywhere.


	4. More or Less, Hope

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> ((I've only got two more chapters to write holy crap get excited))

Jack woke up to shaking. At first he thought the earthquakes were back, and his heart began to race as the terror set in. His eyes flashed open in shock, but to his surprise, the world was not shaking like last time, it was just him.  
A tall man stood over him, shaking him awake. Jack sat up, his head feeling a little more dizzy than yesterday. The man was speaking: "Hello? What's your name? Are you hurt?" He was old and his voice was raspy and uncomfortable.  
Jack blinked as his eyes adjusted to the sun. "J- Jack? I'm Jack. I'm not hurt…" Memories of the night before flooded back to him and he groaned, "Oh…"  
The man smiled, rubbing the back of his neck and patting Jack on the shoulder. "It's okay man, you're going to be okay." His voice was oddly soothing, "I'm James. I'm here to help you."   
Jack suddenly remembered Dan. "Wait! My friend!" He looked around for him, but he was gone. "Where's Dan! He was hurt!" The sudden noise woke up Carrie.  
The man smiled, a small laugh escaping from his lips, "We took him to the hospital as soon as we found you guys. You were all asleep and his wound was serious. There wasn't time to waste." Carrie stood up and brushed off her shorts.  
"I'm Carrie," Her voice was weak and shaky and Jack realized that she hadn't said anything since when they found each other yesterday. She was probably still in shock. "You said you took him to the hospital? Are there other survivors there as well?" She gave the man a solemn look. "We're looking for our friends."  
The man nodded, "Yes. All of the bodies, dead or alive, are being brought to three different hospitals on the island." Carrie winced, "If your friend is alive and well enough to speak, his name will be on the list in the front. If he's dead, well…" The man trailed off.  
"Okay, lets go." Carrie nodded at Jack who stood up. The three of them jumped down the cliff and into the truck was waiting for them.   
***  
The hospital wasn't far, only about ten minutes away in the car. Jack sat in the bay of the truck while Carrie took the front seat. When they arrived, the man directed them to the bulletin board with the names of all of the checked in survivors and wished them good luck. Jack couldn't thank him enough. When he drove away, Jack remembered he had forgotten to ask him his name. He watched his car disappear in the distance.  
Carrie rushed up to the board and looked over the list, wringing her hands together nervously. She stood over it for a minute before gasping, "Jack! Both Dan and Alex are here!" Jack could hear the desperation in her voice. "It says Dan is in room 312 on the second floor, and Alex isn't hurt so he doesn't have a room…" She sighed, somewhat with relief, and looked down at the ground. "Lets go see Dan first. He's probably scared, having woken up all alone like that."  
Jack could hear the pain in her voice when she said that, but he nodded. Finding Alex was going to take time, it was best they found Dan first so they had a place to meet in the future. Jack looked around and spotted a flight of stairs. The two of them began to head up. When they had made it to the second floor and had asked one of the passing by nurses where room 312 was, they finally found the room.  
Dan was laid out on a door which was perched on the side of a counter. The room they were in looked like a bathroom once, but now was laden with medicine bottles and oxygen tanks. Dan's leg was wrapped in a clean bandage and his mouth was attached to a breathing mask. His skin was paler than normal and his eyes looked bulged and swollen.  
"Dan!" Carrie cried, rushing over to his bedside. She gently took his hand in hers and kissed his forehead. Dan opened his eyes slowly, a feat that looked exhausting just to watch. His eyes slowly widened at the sight and then closed again as he exhaled heavily. His chest rose and his mouth opened slowly, a faint whimper coming from his throat.   
"Ca…erie… Alex…. is here…." His voice sounded more air than sound. Carrie gasped, her already wide eyes growing even wider. She tried to speak slowly and softly, but her anxiety was clear in her voice.  
"Was he here? Do you know where he is, Dan?" The worried look on her face grew even more desperate.   
Dan made a strangled noise and exhaled again, struggling to form any sound. "Regist…ration… room… Looking… for you…" He choked and a violent cough exploded from his chest. To Jack's horror, blood came splattering out of his mouth and he rolled over on his side as not to choke. Carrie patted his back nervously as he threw up what seemed to be most of the blood in his body. He heaved and sputtered for a minute longer, and then relaxed, breathing heavier than ever.   
"G- Go…" He breathed, relaxing back onto his door-bed. Carrie shot Jack a worried look, and then kissed Dan's sweaty forehead before getting up and hurrying out of the room.  
***  
The registration room was very hard to find. Carrie ran around almost the entire first floor before someone stopped her and directed her to where she needed to go. Her hands shook as she reached for he handle of the door labeled "Registration". The nervousness and giddiness rushed throughout her veins and she pulled open the door.  
Carrie expected to have to fight through throngs of people to find Alex, but she should have known better. His leopard print pants could be spotted miles away. Carrie broke into historical laughter as she sprinted towards him. Her tears streaming down her cheeks as she cried out his name.  
"Alex!!" She screamed. Alex whipped around, his eyes red from apparent crying. He pushed past some people in front of him and threw his arms around her. Carrie buried her face into his chest and let her sobs go. Alex ran his fingers through her hair, whispering soft words of comfort as she soaked his shirt. A few tears fell down Alex's face as he clung to his girlfriend. He breathed heavily, feeling as if a huge weight had been lifted off his chest.  
Carrie pulled away from Alex's chest and cupped his face in her hands. Tears still flowing down her face, she pressed her lips roughly against his. Alex wrapped his arms around her waist and ran his hands up and down her back, trying to calm her down. After an eternity, they broke apart, staring into each others eyes and laughing.  
"You're alright," Alex breathed, brushing his hand across her cheek. "I thought you were dead!"  
Carrie smiled, a laugh bubbling up her throat. "I love you," She pressed her head against his chest, "So much."


	5. I Beg You

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Shit it's getting harder to write these chapters i'm so CLOSE TO BEING DONE CMON TT YOU CAN DO THIS

They stayed there for about three days. Dan's condition continued to get worse, and Jack continued to look for Phil and Dean. First, he checked every recorded list of all of the patients, but there was nothing to be found. Next, he checked the intensive-care ward, where, if you couldn't be identified, that's where you'd be. He'd be lying if Jack didn't say his hands weren't shaking the entire time he was in there. When he had searched the entire ward, with no success, Jack found himself wandering around the hospital in a state of delusion. He felt like he should cry, he felt like he should be screaming, fighting, clawing for his friends. But he could only feel numbness in his chest. Three days passed and Dan was getting worse and worse.   
His leg had gotten infected and he was in need of serious surgery in order to get the bacteria out of his leg before it was too late and they'd have to amputate. But even in the weak, near-death state he was in, Dan could only think about Phil. He woke up every day hoping to see Phil's shining blue eyes over his face. His drowsy mind floated back to that night before the wave hit, the two of them had spent the day walking around the island and looking at some of the local shops. Phil had been jabbering away about how excited he was about the vacation and how he was looking forward to seeing all of the incredible wildlife and all of the cool scenery. He felt too weak to cry, but if he could, Dan would be sobbing constantly. He tried to remember that he didn't know if Phil was dead or not, but the weight of depression seemed to overwhelm him.  
When Alex and Carrie first found each other, Alex tried to convince Carrie that they should go home, but Carrie threw a fit. She listened to Alex's proposal with wide eyes and a silent response. And then, without warning, she stormed out of the room, slamming the door behind her. Alex hurried after her and caught her in front of Dan's room. Carrie whipped around and shot him a death-stare.  
"Carrie! What!" Alex raised his hands in surrender.  
"What? _WHAT?_ WHAT DO YOU MEAN WHAT?" She was yelling now, "Alex! Two of your friends are still missing! Dean and Phil could be _dead_ for all we know! How can you think it's a good idea to just _abandon_ them? They need us! And Dan and Jack need us more! How would you feel if i was still missing and everyone else _just left you?!?!_ "  
Alex took a step backwards, his face solemn. He opened his mouth to speak, but closed it again, looking away. Carrie sighed and took a step towards him.   
"Oh Alex… I'm sorry." She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed the side of his neck. "I'm just worried about them. And i'm worried about Jack… he doesn't talk to me! And Dan's getting worse and worse…" She whipped away a tear from her face, "What are we going to do?"   
Alex brushed his hand across Carrie's shoulder, "I'm sorry, okay? We're going to make it through this. We have to stay together, okay?" Carrie nodded.  
On the other side of the door, Dan overheard their conversation, his heart pounding with desire to get up and scream at them to just go. Go and don't come back; get out of this hell-hole, leave him behind. But he couldn't move. He couldn't even make a sound. The light from the nearby window glared onto his face; he blinked and then the light was gone. It was night, and there was a woman gently patting his arm.  
"Dan Howell?" Her voice was squeaky and annoying. Dan tried to nod, but it just turned into a strangled, jerky motion. The woman smiled, understanding. "I'm Doctor Catrine. I'm here to inspect you for air-lift. Are there any friends or family here with you?" Dan nodded again. "Okay, can you tell me their names? I can send for them?" Dan struggled to make some noise. "J-Ja…ck… How….." He panted, "Howard," The nurse smiled, pressing a cold rag to his forehead.  
"Shh, relax. We'll find him." And then the blackness overcame him.  
***  
All too soon, he was being woken up again, this time by rough hands shaking his shoulders gently, but firmly. Dan opened his eyes. Jack was leaning over his body, his eyes tired and swollen. He had clearly just woken up. The squeaky woman was standing close behind.  
"Dan! Dan it's me! It's me, Jack!" Jack blinked the sleepiness out of his eyes, "Dan, listen. They're air-lifting you out right now. I can't go with you. I have to stay here and keep looking for Dean." His voice broke, "Alex and Carrie are no where to be found either, and we don't have any time to waste. You have to go to the hospital right now, your leg is turning black and if there's any chance they can save it they have to do it now." He talked fast. Two men entered the room carrying a stretcher and in one swift, painful motion, Dan was strapped on it. Jack ran along beside his stretcher. "Listen, you're going to be okay. They're going to help you, but you have to do it alone." Dan shuddered, and let out a quiet moan. Jack sighed and patted his shoulder. "I'll see you as soon as i find out what happened to Dean."  
Jack began to back away from the stretcher as the two men carrying it lifted it into the helicopter. Suddenly, Dan's hand shot up from his limp body, his grip fastening firmly on Jack's shirt. Using every ounce of strength, Dan pulled him close enough so that Jack could hear over the roar of the helicopter. With a raspy voice, Dan whispered.  
"Find Phil. Promise me… you'll find Phil…"


	6. 2 Promises

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This chapter has a really dumb ending and is really short but you know what it had to happen some exciting things coming in the next few chapters

"I promise," Jack whispered, the growl of the helicopter fading from his earshot.  
Someone shoved a phone in his face. It was the young nurse who had found him in the first place. She gestured to the phone and spoke, "Is there anyone you can call to meet with him at the hospital? I've been saving my battery in case my family calls… but you can't leave him alone like that" She smiled.  
Jack gave her a grateful look and took the phone. He dialed the one of two phone numbers he knew off the top of his head, Dean. It rang four times. Nothing. His heart sunk to the depths of the sea, but Jack swallowed his tears down. He needed to focus. Next he called Bing's phone number. He answered on the first ring.  
"Hello?" Jack coughed. "Jack?"   
"Yes, Bing. It's me." He fought off the sobs. Bing exhaled on the end of the line.  
"Jack! Oh my god, you're alive!" Jack heard coughing and then laughing, "I thought you were dead!"   
Jack nodded, unable to speak without losing hold of the sobs in his chest.  
"What about the others? Is Dean alright? What about Dan and Phil? And Alex and Carrie?" Jack choked and fell to his knees.  
His words barely audible behind the snot and sputtering in his voice, Jack cried: "Bing, I- I don't know where Dean is! He's gone and I can't find him-"  
Bing tried to speak, "Alright Jack, calm down-"  
"I promise I'm going to find him, though, okay? I can't leave this rock until i find him… he needs me… i was so scared- he's all alone, but i'm going to find him, okay Bing?" Jack sputtered and hung up the phone, unable to take it any longer. He buried his face in his lap and cried.  
The woman sat down next to him, rubbing her hand on his back and whispering "shhh", trying to calm him down. Jack heaved into his hands, his sobs rattling in his chest. After what seemed like ages, Jack finally calmed down enough to stop crying. He whipped his nose with his sleeve and handed the phone back to the nurse. But she shook her head.  
"Don't leave it like that! What do you think your friend is thinking right now? Call him back, he needs to know you're going to be okay!"  
Jack looked up, confused, at the kind woman. Without a word, she took the phone and redialed the last number, handing the phone back to Jack. It rang for almost half a second before Bing picked up again.  
"Jack!"  
"Hi, Bing, i'm- I'm sorry. Look, Carrie, Alex and Dan were all found- but.. Dan! Dan had to be airlifted to a hospital in California. You have friends there, can you make sure someone's there to look after him?"  
"Yes, Jack, but-"  
"Look, i can't talk long, but I'm going to find Dean and Phil. I promised Dan… Oh god- Dean is probably so scared… all alone…" He choked back another sob.  
"Look, Jack it's going to be alright! You're going to find them. I'm getting a ticket to California right now, and i'll be waiting with Dan for when you guys come back…." Jack sputtered again, but nodded. "It's going to be alright, okay Jack?"   
Jack nodded again, despite Bing not being able to see him. "Okay. I'll see you soon." He ended the call and handed the phone back to it's owner. The nurse looked at it and then shook her head.  
"No, you keep it. I'm fine and all of my friends are already home. I won't need it, you will. Keep it, please." Her voice was soft and sad. Jack blinked and put the phone back in his pocket, unbearable gratitude flooding over him.  
He stood up, glancing at the distant sun, just peering over the horizon. He sighed, _lets go_ he thought.


	7. No

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> dedicated to stand-in-your-light1 and pleasekillmewhileimstillalive who both told me not to kill Dean ;)  
> Also to alltimemoy who helped me fix the ending and was a HUGE saviour

About three hours after Jack spoke to Bing, Alex and Carrie were still missing and he was starting to get worried. He scanned the entire shelter, but they were no where to be found. Just when he was about ready to give up, he spotted them. They were out on the car path, walking slowly towards the shelter. Jack exhaled in relief. He didn't think he'd be able to handle it if he lost his friends again. As soon as he saw them Jack burst out sprinting. He cleared the distance between them in seconds, panting and out of breathe when he made it. Carrie's eyes grew wide as she saw him and frowned, throwing her arms around his neck.  
"I'm sorry we left, Jack!" She cooed, "We didn't mean to scare you,"  
Jack didn't say anything, he just nodded. Fighting back the tears of relief and anger, he buried his face in her shoulder. Alex patted his back and spoke: "Jack, look. We went to the other shelters. There are three working shelters where everyone's being taken to. This one, the one we were just at and one more."  
Jack looked up, pointless hope in his eyes. "Did you find Dean? Was he there?" He knew the answer already, he just needed assurance.  
Carrie closed her eyes, shaking her head sadly. "No…" Jack's heart sunk. But then Carrie's eyes lit up again, "But we did find out that Phil survived! We think he's at the other shelter looking for everyone! We were coming back to get you! And to tell Dan the good news!"  
Jack shook his head, a small wave of relief flooding over him that Phil was alive, but sadness that Phil was too late to see Dan before he had to leave. "Dan was air lifted out last night. His leg was getting infected and he needed serious surgery." Carrie gasped, her hand flying to her mouth. Jack continued, "I called Bing, he said he's going to meet him at the hospital. You guys should probably get on a plane soon and go find him."  
Carrie shook her head furiously. Alex put his hand on Jack's shoulder. "No, man. We'll stay with you, to help you find Dean. We can't just leave you." Carrie shot Alex a grateful look and nodded.  
Jack sighed. "Well then, lets go." He motioned towards the car park, pointing at a bus that was headed to the next shelter.  
***  
The bus ride was about three hours long. Jack tried to listen to the conversation Alex and Carrie were having with some of the other passengers, but their stories were just too sad. Instead, he stared longingly out the window at the destruction around him. Even here, almost 10 miles inland, the signs of the wave were unmistakable. The ground was muddy and soggy, there were downed trees everywhere and debris from buildings Jack recognized from the beach could be found on the tops of trees here. Occasionally Jack would see a hand or a foot sticking out from under a tree or a piece of wood, and he would blink a few times to make sure he saw what he thought he saw, but then they were gone. The broken bodies left all over seemed to all resemble Dean far too much. Jack took deep breaths, trying to convince himself it was all in his head.  
Finally, they made it to the third shelter. This shelter was a lot bigger than the one they had been brought to originally. It was a larger building that looked like it used to be a car park. Now blankets and pieces of wood were propped up all over it, creating separate rooms for the patients. In the front was a giant bill-board with a huge list of names. Jack sprung off the bus before it could even stop and sprinted towards it. While trying to push past all of the people, Jack found himself colliding head on with a tall man with jet black hair.  
"Phil?" He mumbled, still running but turning just in time to see Carrie throw her arms around him. Phil buried his face into her shoulder, glancing up at Jack with a worried expression, but he had already turned back to running. Jack stared at the billboard that seemed to approach in slow motion. This was it.  
Pushing past the other people standing around it, he frantically scanned the list plastered to the front. Once, twice, three times….  
Nothing.  
Jack's heart sunk into his feet. He took a step back, breathing quickly and trying not to break down crying again. Alex and Carrie caught up in a few seconds, glancing at the chart, but already knowing what they were going to find. Carrie patted Jack's shoulder and sighed, "Um… Jack? It's okay, we're not sure if this means he's….. Maybe he's just still lost… Jack?"  
Phil came running up behind them, panting and worried. "You haven't found Dean?" His face looked scared. "What about Dan?"  
Jack's voice came out fast and weak, "Dan's… fine… at hospital in California. Leg…" He couldn't quite comprehend what he was trying to say. Jack took a shaky breath and tried to slow down. "Dean… where's Dean…"  
Phil's face light up at the sound of Dan's name. He breathed a huge sigh of relief knowing that Dan was alright. Jack couldn't control himself, he screamed.  
"WHERE'S DEAN. WHERE IS HE???" Phil took a step back, his grin dropping to something of pure terror. But Jack could see it in his eyes, he knew. Phil looked down at the ground.  
"I'm so sorry, Jack…. i saw him when the wave hit. He… he wasn't…. moving…" Carrie gasped, turning to face a now frozen Jack.  
She snapped her fingers in front of Jack's face but he didn't even flinch. He was so cold and empty. His breathing was light but fast, every breath not quite satisfying his need for oxygen. His legs felt weak and the world spun around him. Every inhale stung and every exhale was harder and harder. The sobs threatened to push past the air in his throat, but he swallowed it down. His body threatened to cave in on itself. Suddenly, everything seemed worthless, everything deserved to die. The world was empty, and these stupid people had taken Dean's place. It wasn't fair. Jack stumbled backwards, tripping on some kid who's father shoved Jack away from him. His knees hit the ground and the sound wave of the thud echoed through the cavern of his head. The people rushing around him, all of the hands touching him, they didn't matter.  
None of them were Dean's.  
***  
Jack woke up on a very uncomfortable hospital bed. Someone was holding his hand, someone else was whispering. Jack tried to force his eyes open to see who was stroking his hand. For a brief moment, he hoped it was Dean. God, he prayed it was Dean. He prayed that this was all a dream and he was going to wake up in the hospital from some weird accident and Dean was going to be right by his side ready to crack some joke about how Jack looks even uglier than he does and they would laugh and Jack could finally tell him he loved him. But it was blond hair Jack woke up to... And the strong scent of the island was still all around him.  
It wasn't a dream.  
Jack groaned, causing the sources of the whispering voices to cease and come rushing towards him. When they came close enough to be in focus, Jack recognized them as Alex and Phil. Phil smiled at Jack, patting his shoulder reassuringly. Carrie who was stroking his hand stood up and put her hand on his cheek, her eyes beaming. Alex nodded at him from Carrie's side.  
Jack sat up, rubbing his head a bit. He felt fine, but there was still something dark inside his stomach. Some feeling of emptiness. Carrie helped pull him onto his feet, saying something about how it was going to be alright. Alex put his hand on Jack's shoulder and mumbled. All of the words in Jack's head sounded muffled and muddy but it sounded like "I'm sorry"? He shook his head, the thoughts still weren't coming out very clear either.  
Carrie said something about a plane, but Jack didn't move. He knew what it meant, he knew what it all meant. He was leaving this place, leaving it forever and leaving Dean behind with it. He felt like he was constantly falling in and out of consciousness. He never spoke. He blinked and they were in line for something… and then he blinked and they were boarding the plane… and then he blinked and they were in their seats… and then he blinked and they were in the air, nothing but ocean below them. They were headed to California to pick up Dan, but it didn't matter to Jack where he was going. None of it was Dean.


	8. Goodbye

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> THIS WAS A REALLY SUCKY ENDING TO A MOSTLY SUCKY FIC IM SORRY.  
> Im also really really sorry it took so long to post. Im just glad it's over at this point. I can work on new things now :)
> 
> Thank you for reading <3

I'm walking. Walking. Running? Oh i'm running.   
I'm running. I try to turn around, but then i hear him screaming. He's screaming at me not to look. I push harder, obeying the screaming voice's command. But then I am drowning. The water is everywhere and there's nothing stopping it. I get sucked under and then there are bright colours everywhere. I can't see, and in my mind the flash is too bright. And then there's nothing. But it's not peaceful. Its scary. I scream for my  body to move, but i am tied down. I am solid. I am sinking?  
And then i'm awake.   
The flight attendant is poking me slightly. And then it all comes back. I'm on a plane. I'm going to California. And he's not here. I choke down the tears, not even wanting to hear his name.   
I hear sobs from the chair behind me. I don't turn around to look. Why would i. We're all the same on this plane. We're all broken. Missing. Survivors of something no one should have survived.  
"Are you alright?" I croak. My voice doesn't raise above a whisper and the raspy sound that comes out of my mouth is strange and foreign to me. I sound nothing like myself.  
But i swallowed so much water, that's probably normal huh? Side effects of cheating death i guess. I'd have rather died.  
"No" He mumbles back, almost completely inaudibly. I guess that was to be expected. I just lean back in my chair, closing my eyes. The pilot comes online to tell us that we're landing in ten minutes. I sigh as i move to fasten my seatbelt. I hear the multitude of clicks in our plane and a snicker from behind me. My hands hover over the almost fastened buckles. He's right, why should i? I'm dead anyway. Don't turn around. I drop the unbuckled belt back into my lap.  
The plane lands, and i hear shuffling. Too much shuffling. I pull my hoodie up over my matted hair and face, bringing my knees up to my chest and leaning against the window again. My seat jostles as the boy from behind me stands up. I hear him leave, but i don't turn around. Don't look.  
When the shuffling stops, a gentle hand touches my shoulder. "Excuse me sir? It's time to get off now." Its a young flight attendant. I turn to her, my eyes flowing with tears, and we make eye contact for only a moment. She pulls me into a standing-up hug and we stay there for a while. She squeezes me tighter, whispering "shhh shh it's going to be okay" into my ears. I whimper into her shoulder. She's wrong.  
"What's your name sweetie? You're going to be okay. I know it was hard, but someone will take care of you. And you will be okay." Her voice was calming.  
I opened my mouth and squeaked out a sound. She smiled and cocked her head. "Sorry love, your throat is messed up and it's loud in here. What's your name again?" I took a deep breath and focused on speaking.  
"Dean Dobbs" I whispered.  
She smiled, brushing some of my fringe out of my eyes. "I'll walk you off the plane if you'd like?" I nodded, not letting go of her. If i did i'd probably fall over.  
We walked together, quickly catching up to the groups of people in line for the special customs line that said "from hawaii" on it. How thoughtful.  
We waited in line, not talking, but simply looking at our feet and keeping each other steady. I listened quietly to the names of the people in front of me getting checked in. Their tones each unique to their experiences. One woman who looked like she had even gotten a chance to shower before the plane ride snapped her name at the patient customs worker while grumbling about being an american citizen anyway. Another short man with a broken leg barely spoke over a whisper. He sounded like a hurt puppy, afraid to offend anyone else.  
And then i heard it. The receptionist asked in her monotone voice for the next person's name and i heard that voice again. The screaming voice, sounding so different when it wasn't screaming. He shuffled to the front of the line and placed his bags on the check-in counter. "Jack Howard" he mumbled. His voice as horse and raspy as mine.  
"J- ack?" My body moved without my command. I found my self pushing slowly past all of the people in front of me. Someone gasped as i shoved people out of the way. More and more people began groaning, the commotion getting louder, but i wasn't listening. I couldn't listen. I heard the flight attendant calling my name, but more clearly i heard Jack's voice telling me to not turn around. Don't look back. Keep running. Running.  
And then i crash into him. His back is turned but i don't care. He's real and he's in my arms. At first he doesn't react, but in seconds he's wrenching me away from him to look at my face. He looks like a dead body that's just been kicked. He jerks and starts to shake, letting out an agonizing scream before pulling me back into his arms. For a moment, we melt into each other, fusing ourselves as one and sobbing into each other's shoulders.  
I feel safe in his arms. I feel at home. The wave can't touch me here, the bad dreams can't touch me here. For a moment, i don't care what happened to anybody on that island. We're together and we're safe. And then i can feel his lips on my neck and his breath on my skin. He's whispering to me, telling me to shh and i realize that i'm the one shaking us. I tighten my grip on him for a moment and he tightens his.  
"Don't let go, Jack."  
"I won't Dean."  
And it's okay.


End file.
